This relates to an improvement in separators of particles from storm water or polluted bodies of water [rivers, lakes, harbors, oceans, and the like], and more particularly to oil, water, and debris separators from storm water and polluted bodies of water.
All municipalities have storm drains and sewer drains for movement of storm water and waste water for possible later processing and or disposal. All have an interest in containing and efficiently disposing of storm waters. Storm waters, and run-off water of the type associated with irrigation and hosing, typically will run down from various grades of slopes and into the streets ultimately into the storm drains.
For the purpose of this disclosure, and unless otherwise clear from the text, storm water in general refers to actual storm water and run-off water as described above. Polluted bodies of water refers to any pollutant contaminating that body of water such as, but not limited to, oil spills.
In the process of the movement and flow of storm water and run-off water, they will pick up minute particles of sand or stone, vegetation, silt, oils, and other debris. For the purpose of this disclosure, all oils will be referred to as oil and all other particles will be referred to as debris. Water coming from irrigation or from a homeowner's hose [while washing a vehicle, hosing down a sidewalk, and the like] is basically and relatively clean and usable water and, in many cases, even potable except for its collection of minute particles and oils as described above. Because of contaminants such as the oils and debris mixing into this ‘clean’ water as it courses to and through the storm drains it is clearly rendered unsuitable for any domestic use let alone drinking.
Strategies and treatment of run-off water had to evolve around the reality that run-off water maintained unacceptable traces of debris and oils and were not suitable for instant re-use. Because of the inability to treat run-off water, or the undesirability to treat run-off water due to costs, a great deal of this potentially re-usable storm water is discharged into oceans, lakes, rivers, and the like thereby wasting a valuable resource and avoidably polluting those bodies of water in the process.
These bodies of water have suffered their own share of contaminants, particularly from oil spills, large and small. Some well publicized, others not. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,818 issued to applicant on Dec. 25, 2007, applicant described and disclosed a novel water separation unit to meet the needs of de-contaminating and salvaging run-off storm water.
In further experimentation and combination of applicant's invention as described and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,664 issued on May 11, 1999, with applicant's invention of U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,818, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference, as further combined with additional components, applicant has devised a system and method of de-contaminating spills in bodies of water.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the water-contaminant separation system of this disclosure are that it is simple and relatively inexpensive to construct, simple to install, easy to use, mobile, and easier to maintain while separating debris from spills in bodies of water reclaiming potable water in the process.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the water-contaminant separation system of this disclosure. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the water-contaminant separation system of this disclosure. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed water-contaminant separation system of this disclosure in a different manner or by modifying the water-contaminant separation system of this disclosure within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the water-contaminant separation system of this disclosure may be had by referring to the summary of the water-contaminant separation system of this disclosure and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the water-contaminant separation system of this disclosure defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.